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(BINGHAMTON, N.Y.) — Mayor Richard C. David and Fire Chief Daniel Eggleston today announced that, for the first time ever, the Binghamton Fire Department has received a Class 1 rating from the Insurance Services Office (ISO), the highest rating given out by the organization. Binghamton is one of only six fire departments in New York State to earn the top designation.

"The City of Binghamton has one of the highest caliber and best trained fire departments in the state, and this ISO rating confirms that,” said Mayor David. “I am grateful to Chief Eggleston and every member of the Fire Department for their hard work, dedication and service to our City. Binghamton residents deserve the best emergency services possible, and that is exactly what they are getting.”

ISO rates more than 2,000 fire departments in New York State and thousands more countrywide on a five-year basis. An overall ISO score is based on the combined scores of four categories: fire department, emergency communications, water supply and divergence/community risk reduction. Those categories are broken down further into several specific elements, including equipment, training, incident management and the size, type and installation of fire hydrants.

ISO ratings and reviews provide insurers with important information they can use to determine cost, coverage and other decisions related to insurance policies. Better ISO scores result in lower insurance rates for commercial property owners.

The Binghamton Fire Department scored a 92.57 on the Public Protection Classification review conducted by ISO this year. Scores of 90 or higher result in Class 1 ratings.

Binghamton is the only Southern Tier fire department to receive a Class 1 rating. The other New York State cities with Class 1 rated fire departments are: New York City, Yonkers, White Plains, Syracuse and Rochester.

“We are very proud to have earned the Class 1 rating from ISO,” said Chief Eggleston. “The men and women of the Binghamton Fire Department are committed to serving and protecting our community as best we can.”

The Binghamton Fire Department operates five fire stations and a training facility with 116 active firefighters. The Department responded to 9,708 emergency calls for service in 2016.